Singapore Singers

A Kaleidoscope of Sport

Last night's Opening Ceremony for the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore was fantastic. No offense to my Canadian friends, but Singapore 2010 blew Vancouver 2010 out of the water, while floating on top of the water. The stage was literally floating in Marina Bay, with all of Singapore's most iconic landmarks forming the backdrop. From left to right: the Singapore Flier (think London Eye), Double Helix Bridge (made to look like DNA), Marina Bay Sands (think over-the-top Las Vegas casino), Marina Bay itself and countless skycrapers. It was impossible for the show not to be visually impressive.

To make matters more outrageous, fireworks were used liberally, punctuating the end of each segment, whether a dance sequence or traditional Olympic speech. Us young reporters happened to be seated next to one of many small stages in the crowd. Alternating on this stage were drummers, dragon dancers, and even pole dancers. The dance sequences were equally ridiculous and amazing. Well done, Singapore. Let the Games begin.

Singapore tidbit: Although English is the official language for business in Singapore, nearly every Singaporean speaks another language (often Chinese or Malay) at home.

Click HERE to view my Q&A with four-time Olympic ice hockey medalist Angela Ruggiero, who's in Singapore, serving as an Athlete Role Model for the Youth Olympians.

San Antonio to Singapore

This is both the farthest East and South I have ever been. Until two days ago, I had never ventured past Western Europe. I have definitely never been this close to the Equator. Singapore's tropical climate results in beautiful green forests, but also sweltering humidity. Aside from feeling like I'm walking through thick, wet air at all times, I love this city-state. The flora is unlike anything I've seen before. The closest would probably be Vancouver, which has almost as much rain. It rains here every day around 6pm.

I am staying in the athletes village, which was converted from the National Institute of Education, a sprawling college on the western edge of town. I have to take a shuttle between my dorm room and the dining hall. It's not as close to downtown Singapore as I expected or hoped. It only makes me more excited to begin real work Friday morning at the Main Press Centre in downtown. Today, I'm planning to meet up with my former U.S. Olympic Committee boss, Lisa Ramsperger, who arrived yesterday. I met up with former fellow USOC intern, Ian Jaray, already today. It's great to see familiar faces.

Singapore tidbit: The currency is the Singapore dollar. A $25 t-shirt in Singapore will cost about $18 US dollars.

Click HERE to read my feature on fencers Tim Morehouse and Ben Igoe from Summer Nationals in Atlanta.

jetlagged and sweaty

singapore is great (and humid) but was too out of it to enjoy my first day. i look forward to hitting the ground running tomorrow. better blog posts to come.

A Whole New Ballgame

I know what you're thinking, "WAC." But you're wrong, TCU is in the underrated Mountain West Conference with the likes of BYU and soon-to-be Boise State. This stadium will be my new home field. A month from now, I'll be living in Fort Worth disguised as a Horned Frog. Don't worry, underneath all the purple paraphernalia, I'll still bleed orange. You can take the Horn out of Austin, but you can't make him root whole-heartedly for another school.

All jokes aside, I'm really looking forward to spending the next two years in "Cow Town." I've heard only good things about the school, campus and downtown area. I'm excited to explore the city. I have very little experience with Fort Worth, so I'll be starting from scratch. I can't wait to see Billy Bob's honky-tonk, try out Cousin's BBQ, drink at the original Flying Saucer pub, and peruse the city's many museums. My apartment is located on the banks of the Trinity River, near Trinity Trail and not far from the famed Fort Worth Zoo and scenic Botanic Garden.

A week from Sunday, I embark on a 24-hour flight to Singapore for the Youth Olympic Games. I've got a lot of packing to do.

Singapore tidbit: Singapore is the world's fourth leading financial center and the primary language is English.

Hello Hotlanta

Nine days. 6,500 fencers. 100 events. I saw more fencing at the USA Fencing Summer National Championships in Atlanta than I will probably ever see for the rest of my life combined. It was a great experience. I was able to see a new city, hang out with some old friends and yeah, watch a lot of fencing. The beeping of the electronic scoreboards still rings in my ears. I was able to leave the competition venue to visit the CNN headquarters (see Sanjay Gupta above), taste Coke products from around the globe at the World of Coca-Cola and experience Atlanta nightlife with a fellow Central Catholic alum.

Since returning from Atlanta, I spent one productive day in Fort Worth, where I walked around my future campus (TCU), met one of my future professors (Advertising and PR) and signed the lease on my future residence (an efficiency!). The day has got me excited to start a new chapter of my life in Cow Town. Last weekend, I was in Pittsburgh, spending time with my girlfriend and very large and very Italian family. We went to the small town of Crabtree, PA to watch fireworks and gamble by night and to witness dynamite explode and process with the statue of Mary by day. I'll explain later.

I leave for the Youth Olympic Games in less than three weeks. Until then, I have to pack for both Singapore and Fort Worth. I probably ought to do some research on the Southeast Asian country I'm about to live in for three weeks.

Singapore tidbit: Singapore is a city-state (it's own country) with a population of 5 million.

Olympic Nick is Back!

Since I last left you, I've been at home with my parents in San Antonio, alternating between job searching and soul searching. My sister got married and the U.S. made a run at the FIFA World Cup. I've volunteered as a media relations assistant for the 2010 NCAA Women's Final Four at the Alamodome and I've worked for the U.S. Census Bureua as a crew leader, supervising 20 interesting characters. Both were great experiences that did more than just fill my time.

But things started to change about three weeks ago. I received an email from my old boss at the U.S. Olympic Committee. He wanted to know if I was interested in 1) going to the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and 2) working remotely for USA Canoe/Kayak about ten hours a week. I immediately accepted both offers. In Singapore in August, I will be the lone USA representative in the Young Reporters Program organized by the International Olympic Committee. I'm now working with USA Canoe/Kayak, but also US Fencing. Turns out both sports' national governing bodies needed help and they needed it immediately. I was promptly shipped to Brooklyn, where I covered the NYC Fencing World Cup. On Monday, I head to Atlanta for the Fencing Summer National Championships. The canoe/kayak gig could potentially last through the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Things have been happening very fast. In the meantime, I'm planning to enroll in the Master's of Advertising & Public Relations program at TCU in the fall. One thing is for sure, I'm bringing back the blog, Olympic Nick is back!